A primary law means that an officer can ticket the driver for the offense without any other traffic violation taking place. A secondary law means an officer can only issue a ticket if a driver has been pulled over for another violation (like speeding).

Hand-held Cell Phone Use: 12 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. Beginning in October 2013, all laws will be primary enforcement.

Text Messaging: Washington was the first state to pass a texting ban in 2007. Currently, primary enforcement is applied to 41 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, while second enforcement is applied to 4 states: Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio.